


Not As It Seems XIX

by eliniel



Series: Not As It Seems Series [19]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Common Cold, F/M, Sick Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:01:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22166800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliniel/pseuds/eliniel
Summary: When the Warrior of Light catches a cold, she refuses to simply rest, much to the dismay of those around her.
Relationships: Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light
Series: Not As It Seems Series [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2175447
Comments: 4
Kudos: 71





	Not As It Seems XIX

**Author's Note:**

> I've been meaning to write this one for...a long time. It seemed a good time since it's flu season XD As always, thanks to my actual soulmate (Crystal) for suggestions XD

When I woke up that morning, I realized something was wrong from the start. I sat up and the first thing out of my mouth was a sneeze, accompanied by a dull throb between my eyes. I quickly turned my head away from the Ascian in my bed. With a small groan, I dropped back onto my pillow. 

An arm snaked around my middle as Emet-Selch tugged me closer to him and laid his head on my chest, the warmth of his skin seeping into me. 

“Stay in today, hero,” he ordered, sleepily, voice no louder than a murmur. I shifted so my arm slid under his body and wrapped it around his shoulders, staring up at the ceiling. “You  _ need _ to rest.”

I pursed my lips and sighed through my nose. 

“You know I can’t,” I said, quietly, the sound of my voice muffled with my congestion. He was silent for a long moment as I sniffed. 

“No,” he started again. “It’s that you  _ won’t _ .” 

I chewed on the inside of my mouth as I considered his words. He  _ was _ right, I supposed. But now that the holidays were over, how could I rest with a world to save? 

I ran my fingernails up and down his arm and I felt him shiver under the blanket with my movement. I tilted my head, eyes lowering to the top of his head.

“Can Ascians...get sick?”

“If I were in my true form, your mortal ailments would have no effect on me. However, since I have taken residence in a human body, I am susceptible, yes.”

I bristled at the thought. Of course, if he wanted to be seen by those that didn’t have the Echo, he would have had to obtain a host, but I didn’t have to like it.

With another sigh, I slid out of his embrace and started getting out of bed. 

“All the more reason that I get to work.” A chill ran up my spine when the air hit my skin. “Wouldn’t want the almighty Emet-Selch to catch my cold.”

He sat up slightly, leaning his head on one hand as he watched me head to my closet and pull out some clothes. 

“You’d better dress warmly, hero,” he said, gaze moving towards the window for a moment. “It looks rather cold outside.” 

“ _ You’d _ better be careful, Ascian,” I shot back to him, one corner of my mouth tugging upward. “Lest you display some semblance of  _ caring. _ ”

With a click of his tongue, he fell back into the mattress, pulling the blanket up to his chin, stubbornly crossing his arms over his chest underneath. “I won’t be coming to rescue you again if you collapse.”

I huffed a laugh and rolled my eyes.

“It’s just a cold,” I insisted. “It’s hardly anything to worry over.”

He gave me a noncommittal hum and fell silent. By the time I had finished getting ready for the day, he was asleep again. 

As my day continued, much to my dismay, I could feel my sickness progressing. It was noticeable enough that even the Scions looked at me in worry, no matter the strong front I presented.

In the later part of the morning, I stood in the middle of the Ocular as my friends surrounded me, discussing how we should proceed. When the meeting was over, the Crystal Exarch made his way to me, placing his hand on my shoulder, stopping me from leaving for a moment.

“Are you alright, my friend?”

I cleared my throat, trying to stifle the cough that was climbing its way up my throat.

“I’m fine,” I replied, a smile appearing on my lips because of his concern. “No need to worry.” Even through his hood I could see the skeptical expression on his face as a silence stretched between us. 

“If you insist,” he said, finally, his hand dropping from my shoulder. “But should you need a rest, by all means, please take it.” I huffed a laugh and shrugged my shoulders.

“It’s-” Before I was able to swallow it down, the cough forced its way out. Beside me, he paused, mouth drooping into a frown. He reached for me again, but I shook my head as I covered my mouth, holding my hand out to make sure he kept his distance.

“Don’t get too close,” I urged him after I’d recovered, then playfully shoved him with my shoulder as I started for the door, following my friends, a smile spreading across my lips. “Wouldn’t want an  _ old man _ such as yourself to catch it,” I teased. 

The Exarch pursed his lips and inhaled a deep breath.

“At the very least, I will have some potions sent to your rooms for faster recovery.”

“Fine,  _ if you insist _ ,” I mimicked his words, stretching my arms behind my back as I walked, but halted quickly as I thought about the Ascian still likely in my bed. With a nervous laugh, I spun back around. “On second thought, I’ll just pick them up myself.”

He tilted his head towards me, curiously, but I gave him a strained smile. 

“I have to go by the apothecary later,” I explained with a shrug, trying to mask my unease. “No sense in making someone walk all the way to the Pendants when I’ll be in the area, anyway.” He watched me for a few long moments, but hummed and nodded, seemingly accepting my reasoning, and finally let me walk out of the Ocular. 

As the Scions went about their research, I decided to head back out to Lakeland and put my abilities to good use, helping the locals with the many menial tasks they needed assistance with. The apothecary and the medicine would just have to wait until later. 

It was  _ just _ a cold, afterall.

But, while I was helping a man called Seanard spread mortar along the stone walls on the fort in an attempt to repair them, I felt my head swim. My heartbeat spiked and I paused, placing my hand flat against the wall as I blinked, trying to steady my vision.

“Alright?” he asked me, slapping me across the back. I braced myself against the impact. I nodded my head, unable to answer as my knees began to wobble. I inhaled deeply, trying to steady my heart rate. He stood back from the wall, placing his hands on his hips as he inspected out work. “I really appreciate this.” I shook my head.

“No, it’s…” 

He raised a brow as I trailed off, stepping up to me and inspecting my face closely. I shut my eyes tightly as the world started to spin.

“Are you sure you’re-”

Before he could finish, I felt myself falling, and everything went black. 

When I came to, soft voices were speaking around me and my head gently bounced against warm, soft cloth, the chainmail underneath poking into my cheek. My body shivered, a chill consuming me whole. 

“One of the locals brought her to the gate, my lord,” Lyna’s voice said, quietly. “Said she was out at Fort Jobb helping to repair one of the cracking walls.” Glass clinked and my eyes slid open. I was resting against the viera’s armor as she carried me down a hallway. The Exarch walked next to her, two potion vials in one hand, his staff, as usual, in the other. 

My eyelids began to droop again, but I blinked quickly. My head fell backwards against Lyna’s arm as she carried me. She looked down at my movement.

“Ah, you’re awake,” she observed, scanning my face. My brow furrowed and I sniffled, the congestion in my head causing a ache to brew behind my eyes. I wrapped my arms around myself, attempting to stifle the cold that I could feel in my very bones. 

“What happened?” I rasped, attempting to keep my voice even and my teeth from chattering. 

“You fainted in the middle of Lakeland,” the Exarch explained, his words short and agitated. “Might I add, not an hour after  _ insisting _ you would be  _ just fine _ .” I breathed a chuckle as I lifted my head again, settling my temple against the guard’s chest.

“Why do I get the impression you’re scolding me?” His head tilted towards me again, and I got the feeling that if I could see his face, he’d have an exasperated expression plastered on it.

“That’s because I am,” he shot at me and I rolled my eyes, one side of my mouth tugging upward. I closed my eyes again as I relaxed into the feel of Lyna’s steady footfalls as she walked. “You are to take a few days off and  _ rest _ .” 

“Oh?” I scoffed. “And where are you taking me? The medical ward? Are you going to tie me to a bed to make sure I stay put?”

“Hardly,” he huffed, visibly trying to hide the smile my joke caused. “Your room will suffice, I think.”

A sigh escaped me as I thought about being warm in my bed, the pillows large and fluffy, the blanket soft on my skin. I supposed that would suffice-

Wait.

My eyes shot open again in alarm. My room? Oh,  _ Gods- _

I sat up in Lyna’s arms, attempting to slide myself to the ground. 

“What are you-”

“Let me down.”

“I hardly believe you capable of finding your own room in your current-”

“It’s  _ fine _ ,” I insisted, wriggling around. “I can make it there myself.”

“Now, where have I heard  _ that _ before?” the Exarch said with a smirk, lifting a hand to his chin in mock thought as the guard’s embrace around me tightened, holding me still, and in my weakened state, I found myself unable to struggle for long.

She paused outside my door as the Exarch pushed it open. 

“This is fine,” I repeated. “You’ve done enough al-” He waved the hand in which he carried the tonics to cut me off.

“By the Scions’ descriptions, Warrior of Light, I know you to be as stubborn as a mule,” he began as they headed inside. I cringed, waiting for them to realize that there was an Ascian in my room. That he had been  _ spending nights _ in my room. That we were  _ this  _ comfortable together-

But there were no shocked gasps, no weapons drawn, no demanded questions followed by my hasty, nervous explanations. Instead, the Exarch continued.

“So we’re going to  _ watch _ until you drink every last drop of this medicine before we take our leave.”

I lifted my head again, taking quick stock of the room. Any hint that Emet-Selch had been here was gone- as was the Ascian himself. I breathed a sigh of relief. The Exarch took it as my compliance and nodded his approval.

Lyna set me down on the edge of the bed, and once I had steadied myself, the Exarch unstoppered the vials and handed them to me. I downed them both at once, hissing at the bitter taste.

“Now,” he said, softly, a small smile gracing his face. He leaned down slightly, placing his hand on my shoulder. “Get some rest. I will send up some food and more medicine later.”

When I nodded, he motioned for the viera to leave the room, then took the small glasses from my hand and followed her closely as he instructed her with how he wanted my care handled. I sat quietly for several long minutes after they had closed the door behind them, leaning forward, my elbows digging into my thighs, and rubbed the skin between my eyes in an attempt to calm the headache as I waited for the potion to take effect. 

With a sigh, I finally stood and started heading for the bathing room so that I could undress- maybe relax in the bathtub before climbing back into bed. I fumbled with my belt as I stood, unhooking the clasp and letting it, along with my sheathed rapier, to clatter to the floor. My head swam once more with the quickness of my movements and I stumbled backwards, my legs hitting the bedside, causing me to fall back onto the bed, my impact making the mattress bounce a few times. 

My senses grew fuzzy as the darkness pulled at my consciousness and I had a hard time focusing on anything- even the beams in the ceiling above me. I struggled against my fading mind for long moments before I realized it wouldn’t help. Before I let the deep, cool darkness claim me, however, I heard a familiar hum. The sound of boots on the floor. 

The Ascian leaned over me, clicking his tongue in disappointment as he examined my face. My eyelids fluttered when the skin of his hand came into contact in my forehead.

“I did warn you, hero,” he said, pointedly before my eyes slid shut. 

I awoke sometime later with a jolt, quickly sitting up in my bed, my entire body covered in a thin sheen of sweat. The blanket covering me slipped from over my shoulders to my lap and I furrowed my brow.

How...had I ended up here? How long was I asleep?

I rubbed the haze from my eyes and looked around the room. The light in the room had dimmed significantly so- evening? A few hours, then.

“Ah,” a smooth voice said from the other side of the room. I twisted slightly to see Emet-Selch exiting my bathing room, the distinct sound of running water filtering into the room. “Finally. Do you know how  _ boring _ it is to just sit and watch someone sleep?” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Oh, forgive me, mighty Ascian,” I drawled, making sure the sarcasm in my voice dripped from every word, as I rolled my eyes and dropped back onto my damp pillow. I cringed slightly, the sweat that had seeped into my pillow and sheets cold against my back. 

“You love sleeping,” I mumbled. “Could’ve just joined me.” Emet-Selch hummed his amusement, but otherwise had no comment, and came to sit on the edge of my mattress, placing the back of his hand on my forehead. 

“Your fever has broken, at the very least,” he announced. I pursed my lips as I watched him, but a moment later, a fit of coughs clawed its way up my throat. I covered my mouth, quickly turning my head away from him. 

He slid his hand under my back and eased me up, resting me against him as he reached over to the nightstand and turned back with a new vial of medicine and a glass of water. 

“What are you, my nanny?” I asked as I wiped my mouth, mood tinged with a hint of annoyance. He gave an exasperated sigh and shoved the potion in my hand. I stared at it for a few moments, and when I didn’t move to ingest it, he clicked his tongue at me.

“Now is not the time to be stubborn, hero. As I have said before, you pushed yourself too hard and this is the result.” I sighed heavily through my nose and tore the cork out of the top and tipped the foul-tasting liquid down my throat, making my distaste for it obvious. “You don’t heed the words of those around you,” he began. “Clearly, the famed Warrior of Light cannot be trusted to take care of herself.” He paused his tirade for a moment, taking the vial from me and replacing it with the water. “And if you are unable, I suppose it falls to me. Drink.” 

I breathed a chuckle that led to more coughing.

“Why you?” I croaked as I tried to calm my body and took a sip of water. He shifted behind me, looking towards the nightstand again. I followed his gaze with my head to find a tray, a few different types of food arranged on its surface. 

“Clearly, your _ beloved _ Exarch doesn’t know the first thing about you.” I frowned, realizing that he was right- none of the foods that had been sent were to my liking. Suddenly, without warning, his knowing, arrogant air was back, radiating off of him in waves.

“Besides,” he started. “ _ My _ cooking is much better than anything that comes out of  _ his _ kitchens.” I nearly snorted.

“How conceited,” I mused and took another sip. I felt him shrug as he loosely wrapped his arms around me. 

“Maybe,” he admitted easily, leaning to nuzzle my ear with his nose. “But I was instructed by the best.” 

A small smile spread across my lips and I breathed a laugh. I handed the cup back to him, finished for the moment and he twisted to set it back on the bedside table. When he had turned back, replacing his arm over my shoulders, I threaded my fingers between his and settled into his chest, relishing the steadiness of his breathing, letting the rhythm quickly lull me into a state of near-sleep.

“Are you still cold, hero?” he asked, finally, his voice soft.

“A little,” I mumbled drowsily. He lifted one hand to snap and the running water in the other room faded.

I felt him move to stand, his hands going behind my back and under my knees, lifting me easily from the bed. 

“The bath should be ready by now.”

I raised my eyes to examine his face as he carried me to the bathing room, his expression, as usual, reserved and purposefully unreadable, though I could  _ nearly _ discern an underlying concern that made one side of my mouth lift. 

“Don’t get used to it, warrior,” he ordered without looking at me. My smile widened and I breathed a giggle. 

When we entered, he slowly set me down on the floor, the cold tile sending a chill up my spine. He held me steady as I undressed and helped me sit on the edge of the tub so he could disrobe as well.

He got into the water first, then gently tugged me in. 

The warmth of the water caused a low moan slip from my mouth and he chuckled as he sat me back against his chest once more. His arms went around my waist and I laid my hands on top of them, sighing in relief. 

I closed my eyes as I melted into him, letting all of the tension in my muscles go. 

“Thank you, Ascian,” I breathed.

“You’re welcome, hero.”


End file.
